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| BLAME not my Lute! for he must sound | |
| Of this or that as liketh me; | |
| For lack of wit the Lute is bound | |
| To give such tunes as pleaseth me; | |
| Though my songs be somewhat strange, | 5 |
| And speak such words as touch thy change, | |
| Blame not my Lute! | |
| My Lute! alas! doth not offend, | |
| Though that perforce he must agree | |
| To sound such tunes as I intend, | 10 |
| To sing to them that heareth me; | |
| Then though my songs be somewhat plain, | |
| And toucheth some that use to feign, | |
| Blame not my Lute! | |
| My Lute and strings may not deny, | 15 |
| But as I strike they must obey; | |
| Break not them then so wrongfully, | |
| But wreak thyself some other way; | |
| And though the songs which I indite | |
| Do quit thy change with rightful spite, | 20 |
| Blame not my Lute! | |
| Spite asketh spite, and changing change, | |
| And falsed faith must needs be known; | |
| The faults so great, the cause so strange; | |
| Of right it must abroad be blown: | 25 |
| Then since that by thine own desert | |
| My songs do tell how true thou art, | |
| Blame not my Lute! | |
| Blame but thyself that hast misdone, | |
| And well deserved to have blame; | 30 |
| Change thou thy way, so evil begone, | |
| And then my Lute shall sound that same; | |
| But if ’till then my fingers play, | |
| By thy desert their wonted way, | |
| Blame not my Lute! | 35 |
| Farewell! unknown; for though thou break | |
| My strings in spite with great disdain, | |
| Yet have I found out for thy sake, | |
| Strings for to string my Lute again: | |
| And if, perchance, this sely rhyme | 40 |
| Do make thee blush, at any time, | |
| Blame not my Lute! | |
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